BATON ROUGE, La. — Just over a month ago, Ed Orgeron was still talking about the importance of Marcel Brooks.
“We have to put him on the field,” he told ESPN 104.5’s “Off The Bench.” “He’s a force. He’s fast, can make plays, very aggressive. He plays defense the way it ought to be played.”
Because that’s the kind of player Brooks is. He’s a singular talent, a rangy, 6-foot-3 hybrid who arrived as a safety, became an essential pass rusher as a freshman and was slated to compete for time at inside linebacker in 2020. Former LSU defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko once called him more of a “freak” than outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson, a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is the type of player you need to find a place for, even if his positional fit isn’t as clear as others.
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But now it doesn’t seem like Brooks will be on the field at all for LSU this season. The sophomore entered the transfer portal Friday, marking a shocking twist in an offseason already defined by replacing star talent. Days removed from that surprise, the reasons and ramifications can be slightly more understood.
This was not a football decision. Make that clear first. This had nothing to do with his switch to linebacker or playing time or anything of that nature. Brooks was set to be a crucial piece of LSU’s defense, and his likely departure came as a surprise to many. The reasons can be described as “off the field” and personal.
“Family,” Brooks told The Athletic when asked why he chose to enter the transfer portal. He didn’t want to elaborate. It’s a large part of why many expect him to end up near his home of Dallas, whether it’s with TCU, another Texas program or Oklahoma. TCU has been the consistent rumor attached to his transfer.
Brooks has also been connected to some minor discipline issues in his first year in Baton Rouge, although it’s still unclear whether anything of that nature is part of this situation. He is beloved by many in the program but also described by some team leaders as an extreme talent without the necessary work ethic. Others described him as a challenging personality.
He’s just a different kind of guy. He did goofy dances after sacks. He called himself the “same animal but a different beast” when compared to former Tigers safety Grant Delpit. He went to the beat of his own drum.
Take what he once told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman about why he chose LSU.
“I let my little sister pick between Alabama and LSU,” Brooks said in January. “It didn’t matter where I went. At the same time, I’m happy that I chose LSU. Coach O is an amazing dude. Since I was in high school, I always believed in him and his program.”
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She was 9. When asked what his sister’s motivation was for making this important life choice, he said, “Just the pretty colors. The purple and gold.”
So where would he be if his sister chose Alabama?
“Alabama,” he said.
It’s unclear what Brooks’ exact role would have been in the coming season, but there’s little question he was considered a program centerpiece for the next two to three years. As a 200-pound true freshman, he became a key cog on a national championship defense with the “Green Team” pass-rush unit. He compiled 1.5 sacks — including the massive sack against Florida — and consistently provided athletic pressure.
The question with Brooks was always about where he’d land as a three-down player. He had the body and athleticism of a safety like Delpit or JaCoby Stevens, but he wasn’t a natural coverage fit. His most elite skill was his pass rush, but he by no means had the size to play full-time defensive end. So in 2020, as LSU hired Bo Pelini as defensive coordinator and moved to a 4-3 defense, Brooks moved to weakside inside linebacker.
“Marcel is a kid who has tremendous ability,” Pelini told Jacob Hester on “Hangin’ with Hester.” “But he has a lot to learn, as do all of (the returning defenders). I think and am hoping that we have good depth and can play a lot of these guys and keep them fresh, and I think that makes everybody better. And it makes competition better.”
It seemed safe to assume Brooks was set to see the field quite often, and especially on third down. While LSU is running a 4-3, that will likely be more similar to a 4-2-5 in nickel looks, meaning two “true” starting inside linebackers. Jabril Cox and Damone Clark are expected to man those two primary spots, but Brooks could have been the third man in 4-3 sets and an obvious third-down pass rusher. The point is he would have played. A lot.
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Even as far back as January, there didn’t seem to be any indications of a looming departure. He said to The Athletic before the national championship that he was excited to talk to the staff about how he’d be used. He joked he still needed to figure out if he should lose weight to play defensive back or gain weight to play near the line of scrimmage.
It’s not out of the question that Brooks returns. He’s a difficult person to predict, but it certainly appears his future will not be played in Tiger Stadium.
So where does LSU turn now? Linebacker depth was a concern seemingly addressed by the addition of Cox. Now the situation is practically back where it started.
Micah Baskerville was the other player playing with Brooks at the weakside spot. Baskerville is an experienced third-year linebacker who has seen the field in stretches the past two years, but the report on Baskerville has always been that he’s solid and reliable but doesn’t have the upside of other candidates. One LSU staff member said he seemed to turn the corner, though, during the postseason.
Pelini said the linebackers are pretty interchangeable in terms of spots, so LSU could turn to veteran Ray Thornton or walk-on Jared Small, whom Orgeron shouted out this month, or converted receiver Devonta Lee.
Maybe a more likely scenario is turning to freshman Antoine Sampah, a top-100 signee with big potential. Josh White is another newcomer for whom LSU has massive expectations. He is expected to play this season, and with Brooks’ departure, a rotational spot might be available.
Losing Brooks absolutely puts a dent in LSU’s defense — especially its pass rush — but it’s difficult to think it will drastically shift the team’s season. LSU knew when Brooks came to Baton Rouge that he was a different kind of personality, and now he appears gone within a year.
(Photo: John Korduner / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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